In the installation of prosthetics, accurate placement of the prosthetic relative to the implantation site is important to ensure proper connection and good biomechanics. For example, when installing a prosthetic shoulder joint into a patient's body, a glenoid component is implanted into the glenoid vault of the patient's scapula. An obverse surface of the glenoid component is configured for articulating contact with a humeral component carried by the patient's humerus. A reverse surface of the glenoid component is secured to the bone surface of the glenoid vault. Therefore, to ensure the best outcome, the glenoid component must be positioned accurately.
Presurgical planning is helpful to the surgeon and operating team as it aids the team in not only selecting the properly sized implant, but also helps the surgery go smoothly and without unnecessary surprises. This process is assisted by preoperative imaging and appropriate software. Modern presurgical planning results in a virtual surgical plan that is optionally at least partially embodied in a physical model of the patient's surgical site. This physical model is for example made by scanning the patient's surgical site and producing the physical model by 3-D printing or other technologies. This patient specific physical model will allow the surgeon to interact with model and glean useful information when developing the surgical plan.
One common use for the patient specific physical model is for calibrating or setting an adjustable surgical guide or placement instrument to prepare the surgical field to receive the prosthetic, e.g., by setting the location and placement of holes, bores, cuts, and the like.
Currently, tool setting devices are available to set adjustable surgical guides. However, it would be desirable to be able to transfer numerical setting from presurgical planning software directly to an adjustable surgical instrument without needing to use a physical patient surgical site model and without needing to use of a tool setting device.